Ben Ben Stokes said his family weren’t physically harmed (Pictures: Getty/PA)
England captain Ben Stokes revealed that masked burglars targetted his house and stole valuable possessions while his family were inside.
Stokes, who was in Pakistan for the Test series at the time of the robbery, said his family were not physically harmed but said a number of ‘sentimental’ items were taken.
The 33-year-old posted a series of pictures of some of the items stolen which included the medal for the OBE he received in 2020, three necklaces, a ring and a designer bag.
‘On the evening of Thursday 17th October a number of masked people burgled my home in the Castle Eden area in the North East,’ he said in a statement on social media.
‘They escaped with jewellery, other valuables and a good deal of personal items. Many of those items have real sentimental value for me and my family. They are irreplaceable.
‘This is an appeal for any help in finding these people who carried out this act. By far the worst thing about this crime is that it was carried out whilst my wife and 2 young children were in the house.
‘Thankfully, none of my family came to any physical harm. Understandably, however, the experience has had an impact on their emotional and mental state.
The attack occurred when Stokes was away in Pakistan captaining England (Picture: Getty)
Stokes’ OBE, which he received in 2020, was one of the items stolen (Credits: PA)
A golden necklace with a lion’s head was one of the items stolen (Picture: X)
A diamond necklace was also taken in the robbery (Picture: X)
‘All we can think about is how much worse this situation could have been. I am releasing photographs of some of the stolen items – which I hope may be easily identified – in the hope that we can find the people who are responsible for this.
‘Although we have lost cherished possessions, to be clear, my sole motivation in sharing these photographs is not the recovery of material items. It is to catch the people who did this.’
Stokes missed the first game of the three-match series due to a hamstring injury but returned for the second Test in Multan which saw England beaten to level the series.
They went on to lose the series 2-1 in last week’s third and final Test.
Stokes urged anyone with information to call Durham Constabulary on 101 quoting crime reference CRI00575927.
‘Finally, I want to say thank you to the police service,’ he added. ‘Both now and whilst I was away in Pakistan, their support for my family has been outstanding. They continue to work incredibly hard in trying to find these people.’
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